Androgen receptor levels in patients with isolated hypospadias

Abstract

Abstract. The binding of [3H]dihydrotestosterone (17β-hydroxy-5α-androstan-3-one) to the androgen receptor was studied in 26 prepubertal boys with isolated hypospadias (no associated anomaly) using fibroblasts cultured from surgical specimens of hypospadiac penile skin and/or chordal tissue. Maximal binding capacities of androgen receptor for [3H] dihydrotestosterone in 10 patients with mild degree (2 glandular+8 penile), 6 with severe degree (4 penoscrotal + 2 scrotal), chordal tissues of hypospadias (N=10), and controls (10 endocrinologically normal boys) were, respectively, 11750±2410, 10720±2680, 16100±7570, and 11570±3830 (mean ± sd) sites per cell. Dissociation constants in these subjects were 1.09±0.29,0.93±0.22,1.20±0.31, and 1.22±0.41 × 10−10 mol/l respectively. There were no significant differences as to both maximal binding capacity and dissociation constant of androgen receptor among any groups. Abnormal receptor thermolability was not found in 5 patients with severe degree of hypospadias either. It is, therefore, concluded that prepubertal boys with isolated hypospadias have primarily normal androgen receptor activity.